Stephanie Drenka

Today.

My life has been sustained by expectations. Expectations that when someone tells me something as truth, I can rest in the knowledge that there are no foul intentions behind that “truth.” When one lie after another begins chipping away the exterior of my peace of mind, my life as I know it–my perceived reality–is threatened. Ask me then, why hold to these expectations if the end result is inevitably disappointment? It is because once you begin to play their game, alter your thoughts and actions around their misdoings, they’ve won the battle. Mahatma Gandhi said that we must be the change we want to see in the world. When people build their relationships and deeds around lies, the change they are making in the world is a pretension. The only way to combat this is by not letting yourself fall victim to the same temptation–the ease of telling a little white lie here and there, an empty promise meant to make someone feel better temporarily, despite the understanding that you will never fulfill it…all of these, whether or not the intended outcome is positive, will have unintentional consequences. For every falsehood that I discover, I can no longer let it become a reflection of my self or judgment. No one asks to be lied to, no one innately deserves it, and no one should let a lie make them feel as if they should have known better or expected less.